The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-12-21
A CALIFORNIA CHRISTMAS, 1852.
BY KATE VAN NORMA GIBSON.

We reached California late in the fall Of
1852, and before we knew it could be winter
in a country where the grass was freshly
,prouting and the trees bright and green,
Christmas was upon us, and no turkey in the
state. The children held solemn conclave
and concluded that Santa Claus could never
get so far, besides there was no snow for his
sleigh to travel on.
AS said, there was probably not one
turkey In the whole state, and though there
were a few chickens, no one would have con-
sented for moment to kill them when eggs
we're worth 81 apiece. So our hopes for an
Did fashioned Christmas fell far below zero,
md in spite Of our best endeavors we felt
little blue and homesick-
There was plenty Of the poor Spanish beef
To be obtained, and also veal, but q sucking
pig would have beeu an impossibility, and
there was absolutely no fruit in tho country
except such as grew wild, and, of course,
there was none at this season, but the genius
Of women for making something out of moth
ing is proverbial, and tho men of tho family
thought the women would pull through some
how, though how was that to be without fruit,
eggs, milk or cream, or, indeed, anything e1-
cept bayou beans, Spanish beef and very
few potatoes, and no onions to season any
thing with, nor knivesi This was in what is
Oakland now, but at that time there were but
three wooden houses and q few tents there.
The two women put their heads together
and finally decided that they could at least
make a plum pudding, but in tho little
"store" there were no raisins, nothing but
dried apples They bought six eggs, paying
IS for them, considering the season, and took
some dried apples These wero put to soak
over night and on Christmas morning they
were chopped into small bits, and with the
eggs and plentiful supply Of molasscs, -four
and suet, big pudding was put into q bag
and over the fire to boil. This success stimu-
lated the women to try ON apple pie or 80.
In the meantime big rib of beef was duly
salted and peppercd and surrounded with
potatoes, and was made ready to put In the
oven when Uncle Charlie, who was mighty
hunter, suddenly made his appearance with
q big fat goose in one hand and fine big
turkey, as We thought, in the other, both
plucked and dressed, ready for the oven.
Some one was sent to buy an onion, as the
grandmother said the goose really must have
onion in tho stufing, and for that one little
onion, no larger than an egg, we paid 81
and were glad to get it at that price. Grand
mother brought out her wonderful bag Of
herbs and little of very precious sage, and
summer savory was sifted into the dressing
and the two fine birds werc put down to cook,
and we ell began to rejoice that even in for
or California Christmas was not quite lost.
The two birds now cooking had been shot
early that morning. One was a honker
geese and the Other was ON enormous sand
hill crane, or, Gs they were then called, Cali
fornia turkcy. These immense birds grow
very fat and are really delicious eating, as
we found at dinner time. And when the
table was laid out with the finest linen and
choice dishes that had followed tho family
fortunes around tho Horn," that dinner
was voted success, but the pudding, covered
with blazing brandy, looked just as Christ
mas like as if it had been real plum one,
though it had spris Of "live oak" instead
of holly in it, ord although it did not take
quite as good.
After dinner VIC had games, and though
the children missed the hanging up Of tho
stockings, they went to bed happy in tho
hope, aftcrward fulfilled, that SaEta Claus
might got there by New Years, seeing that
they lived too far away for him to reach
them OH Christmas.